Expansible and contractible rock drill



'FIG.3.

W. G. HURLEY- EXPANSIBLE AND CONTRACTIBLE ROCK DRILL Filed May 8, 1939 4 ets-sheet '2 INVENTOR WALTER G. HURLEY l ATTORNEY J y 1940- w. G. HURLEY EXPANSIBLE AND CONTRACTIBLE ROCK DRILL Filed May 8, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEY HURLEY EXPANSIB LE AND CONTRACTIBLE ROCK DRILL Filed May 8, 1939 4 sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR WALTER G HURLEY ATTORNEY Patented July1 6 1940 UNITED STATES EXPANSIBLE AND ROCK mun.

Walter G. Hurley, East St. Louis, 111., assignor of one-half to Lester A. Crancer, Webster Groves, Mo., and one-half to George B.;Fleischman,

University City, Mo.,

Application May a, 1939, Serial No. 272,405 1c Claims. ((1255-75) My invention relates to a new and useful im-' provement in expansible and contractible rock drills, and has for one of its objects to provide an improved drill that may be lowered through 5 the rotatable pipe and will automatically adjust itself into drilling position at the lower end of the drilling mechanism, and which may be readily removed for repairs or replacement of drill bits without disturbing the position of the rotatable pipe in the well. My invention includes a drill collar secured to the lower end of the rotary pipe orcasing that is provided with slots for receiving certain parts of the drill-carrying mechanism and guiding means for directing such l mechanism to saidslots and a locking arrangement for locking the drillsin expanded position in the drill collar when said drills have assumed their cutting position. My invention also ineludes means for quickly and easily contracting 0 the drill-carrying parts phen it is desired to withdraw said drills from the pipe or casing.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and formation of parts, as will be 25 hereinafter more specifically described, claimed. and illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part oi this specification.

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the whole unit with the drill bits in expanded position.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the inner unit carrying the drill bits with said bits in contracted position.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are half-sections taken 120 apart, showing the central portion of lower end of the drill collar and the bit-carrying unit with the carrying bars in contact with projections on the inner sleeve.

Figs. 6, '7 and 8 are cross-sections taken on lines 6-6, l-I and 8-8, respectively, Fig. 3,

40V looking in the direction of thearrows.

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section through a portion of the drill collar and the drill-carrying mechanism.

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section through the 45 lower end of the casing, a part of the drill collar and upper portion of the bit-carrying unit and the device for withdrawing said bit-carrying Fig. is a perspectiveview oI the upper end of one of the bit-carrying arms.

Fig. 21. is a developed view of the positioning shoulder in the drill collar.

Fig. 22 is a cross-section taken on line 22-22, Fig. 10, looking in the direction of the arrows.

In the drawings the rotatable pipe or casing is designated .by A, the drill collar by B, and the drill bits by C.

It will be understood that the pipe or casing A employed in oil well drilling is rotatable. The drill collar' 'B being attached by the collar or tool Joint D to the lower end of said pipe A is also rotatable with said pipe. The drill collar B acts as a housing for the drill bit-carrying mechanism and is provided with a series of longitudinal slots 25 in which the bit or cone hangers 23 move to place the drill cones or bits into expanded and retracted postion, as will be hereinafter described. Also in said drill collar B is a spiral guide 21 (Fig. 10) near the top of said drill collar to guide the drilling mechanism units into place. A groove or keyway 23 (Fig. 10) connecting with the spiral guide 21 is provided interiorly of the drill collar B through which the bits or cones are guided to their expanded or drilling position, as will be hereinafter more fully described. I f

The carrier shaft for the bits or cones C is composed of a tubular member 23 screwed onto another tubular member (Fig. 10), the lower end of the tubular member 23 providing an abutment 3| against which the upper end of a spring 32 rests. The lower end of the tubular member 30 is flared outwardly as at 33, and surrounding such fiaredportion is a rubber or fiber packing seal 34, against the upper end of which rests the lower end! of spring 32, whereby said packing seal is pressed downwardly and expanded in order to form a water-tight seal between the inside surface of the drill collar B and the tubular member 30. A tongue 33' is formed longitudinally on *the flared portion 33 of the tubular member for entering a recess 34' in the packing seal 34. Another longitudinal tongue '34" is formed on the seal 34 and enters groove 23 in the drill collar B (Fig. 22). In the upper end of the tubular member 23 is a flange 35 against which the lugs 36 engage. These lugs are pivoted at 31 to the flattened end of a carrier rod 33 and a spring 39 tends to force the lugs outwardly to engage the flange 35. To'the upper end of the carrier rod 33 is secured a cable 40 for raising and lowering the bit-carrying mechanism.

U-shaped lugs I, 42, and 43 are welded to the side of the carrier shaft tubular member 30', which'extends below the flared portion 33, at points intermediate the length of said member 30'. Through the said lugs ll, 42, and 43 pass the rods 44, 45, and 46, which carry the bit-carrying unit, which in turn carries the bits or cones C. At the upper end of each rod is a projection 44', 45', and, 46', respectively, which projections engage the lugs, 42, and 43.

At the lower end of each rod is pivoted a link .41, which in turn is pivoted at its opposite end in the bifurcated upper end 48 of the bitor cone hanger 26. Adjacent the end 48 is an inclined 'cam member 49 having a projection extending outwardly therefrom (Fig. 20) to limit the downward movement of the cone hanger 26. As al' of the cone hanger mechanism is identical except as to length, it is only necessary. to describe one of them in detail. By reference to Fig. 2 it will be noted that the cones Care secured to the lower ends of the cone hangers 25 in a slightly tilted position, so that the ribbed cone-shaped surfaces are utilized in engaging the rock formation and for cutting therethrough as the cone bits are rotatably moved when in contact with such rock formation. The cone hangers 25 enter the longitudinal slots 25in the drill collar 13. The cones C are removably attached to the cone hangers 26. The lower end 5| of each of the cone hangers 26 is wedgeshaped and has a shoulder 52 extending just above the cone C. 'This portion 5| extends into I a slot 53 in the lower end of the drill collar B. Above the wedge-shaped portion 5| is an oiTset portion 26' of the cone hanger 26, and where this portion 26 is joined to the hanger 26 is a shoulder 54 which seats on the circular section eled as at 51, which end contacts the inclined face 58 of the wedge-shaped member 5| as the cone carrier is lowered and forces the cones or bits C intotheir outer expanded position. 7 As the cone carrier 30' is lowered in the drill collar the cams 49 strike against an abutment 59 adjacent the upper, end of each slot 25, causing B, which causes the cone carrier to assume a position whereby the proper parts will be presented in a position to cause the cones C to assume an expanded position as the cone carrier mechanism is being lowered through the drill collar B.-

When it is desired to withdraw the cone carrier mechanism from the casing A, an upward pull on the cable" is exerted which first withdraws the beveled end 51 from contact with the inclined faces 58.0! the wedge-shaped members 5|. Then as the upward movement of the cone carrier mechanism is continued, the U-shaped lugs 4|,,42-, and 43 each in turn contact the projections 44', 45', and 45', and the upward, movement continuing, the cones C and their as-. sociatedparts are carried upwardlyand inwardly until the cones C are in contracted position, as shown in Figs. 11, 12, and 13, and then only the upward movement is continued until the in expanded drilling position member 30 whichhas a perforated bottom 5|,

such perforations being preferably inclined, through which water may be introduced to the surface being contacted by the cone bits '0. An

angularly shaped projection 52 may extend from I the bottom 6| to break up any material which may have, escaped the conesC. Reinforcing shoulders 63 (Figs. 6 and '1) are provided near the lower end of the drill collar B for additional strength. Grooves 54 areprovided interiorly of the circular section 55 to accommodate sections of the cone hanger 26. The lower portion of the tubular member 30' is grooved as at 65 to receive the cone hangers 26.

As the cone carrier 30' is lowered through the drill collar B, first the rod 44 reaches a point where the expanding action takes place, and the rod 44 slides in the lug 4|. Then as the carrier 30 continues to descend, the intermediate conecarrying mechanism engages the expanding device provided for it in the drill collar B, and the "said device is expanded into drilling positionand the rod 45 slides in the lug 42. Thereafter. the cone carrier 30' continues its descent until the shortest section is expanded into drilling position and the rod 46 slides in the lug 43. The cone carrier descends sufficiently further to cause the inclined face 51 on its lower end to engage the wedge-shaped portions 5|, thus looking the drilling bits or cones C in their expanded position. When the cone carrier 30' is raised the wedge-shaped members 5| are first released and then, as the projections 44', .55, and 46' are engaged by the lugs 43, 42, and 4|, respectively,'

the cone-supporting devices are retracted into their smaller diameter, thus permitting the cone carrier 30' and its associated parts to be raised through the drill collar B and the' plpe or casing A. l

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a casing, a drill collar attached to the lower end of said casing and having a plurality of spaced outwardly opening slots, a series of bits and a bit carrier longitudinally passable through said casing and said drill collar, a series of rods movably mounted on said bit carrier, bits attached to the lower ends of said rods, guide means .formed in said slots and extending interiorly of said drill, collar for successively directing said bits into expanded drilling position at the lower 'end of said drill collar and for moving the rods into expandedposition in said'slots, means for permitting the drill carrier to move a predetermined distance longitudinally in said drill collar independently of said bits, and means for locking said bits in expanded position.

2. In a device of the character described, a casing, a drill collar attached to the lower end of said casing and provided with a plurality of its side wall, a series of bits and a bit carrier longitudinally passable through said casing and said drill collar, a series of rods movably mounted on. said bit carrier, bit carriers secured to the lower ends of said rods, each being provided with a wedge-shaped member adjacent the bit, and means for wedging said wedge-shaped members in the slots in said drill collar when the bits are 3. In a device of the character described, a

peripherally spaced outwardly opening slots in casing, a slotted drill collar attached to the lower 75.

end of said casing, a series of bits and a bit carrier longitudinally passable through said casing and said drill collar, a series of rods mounted for movement "in a longitudinal direction on said bit carrier, a guide interiorly placed in said drill collar, a key on said bit carrier co-operating with said guide for directing said bit carrier to a predetermined position in said drill collar, a cam member pivoted to one end of each rod, another guide member in said drill collar adapted to contact each of said cam members for moving the bit-carrying parts outwardly to expanded position, a bit-carrying hanger attached to each of said cam members, and means for locking said bits in expanded position, said bit carrying parts being successively movable to an expanded or a contracted position.

4. In a device of the character described, a

casing, a slotted drill collar attached to the lower end of said casing, a series of bits and 'a bit carrier longitudinally passable through said casing and said drill collar, a series of rods mounted for movement in a longitudinal direction on said bit carrier, a guide interiorly placed in said drill porting the bits in superposed nested relationship in the drill collar, a wedge-shaped member attached to each-bit-carrying hanger, means for wedgingsaid wedge-shaped members in longi-'- tudinally disposed peripherally spaced slots in said slotted drill collar when the bits are in expanded drilling position, and means for looking I,

said bits in expanded position.

5. In a device of the character described, a casing, a slotted drill collar attached to the lower end of said casing, a bit carrier longitudinally passable through said casing and saiddrill collar, a plurality of bits suspended therefrom in superposed relationship, when contracted, a packing seal surrounding said bit carrier and adapted to contact the inner wall oi said drill collar at a predetermined point when the bits are in expanded position, a series of rods mounted for movement in a longitudinal direction on said bit carrier, aguide' interiorly placed in said drill collar, a key on "said bit carrier co-operating with said guide for directing said bit carrier to a predetermined position in said drill carrier, a cam member pivoted to one end of each rod, another guide member in said drill collar adapted to contact each of said cam members for successively moving the bit-carrying parts outwardly to expanded position, said drill collar having longitudinal outwardly opening slots, a bit-carrying hanger attached to each of said cam members and movable into the slots when the bits are expanded, and means for locking said bits in expanded position. 1

8. In a device or the character described, a casing, a slotted drill collar attached to the lower end or said casing, a series of bits and a bit carrier longitudinally passable through said casin and said drill collar, a series of rods of varyinglengths mounted for movement in a longitudinal direction on said bit carrier whereby said rods bit support, a bit hanger having an upper cam are progressively presented to expanding mechanism in said drill collar, a guide interiorly placed in said drill collar, a key on said bit carrier cooperating with said guide for directing said bit carrier to a predetermined position in said drill collar, a cam member pivoted to one end of each rod, another guide member in said drill collar adapted to contact each of said'cam members for moving the bit-carrying parts outwardly. to expandedi position, a bit-carrying hanger attached to each of said cam members, and means for locking said bits in expanded position. a

7. In a device of the character described, a casing, a slotted drill collar attached to the lower end of said casing, a series of bits and a bit carrier longitudinally passablethrough said casing and said drill collar, a series of rods mounted for movement in a longitudinal direction on said bit carrier, a guide interlorly placed in said drill collar, a key on said bit carrier co-operating with said guide for directing said bit carrier to a predetermined position in said drill carrier, a cam member pivoted to one end of each rod, another guide member in said drill collar adapted to contact each of said cam members for moving the bit-carrying parts outwardly to expanded position, a bit-carrying hanger attached to, each of said cam members, and means for progressively withdrawing said bits from their expanded to their contracted positions so said bits and bitcarrying mechanism is movable longitudinally through said drill collar on said casing.

8. A well drill comprisinga casing, a drill collar mounted at the lower end thereof and provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced longitudinal slots opening outwardly of its side wall, each of said slots'having cam means at its upper endextending into the bore of the collar; a bit support slidablymountedin said drill collar, bit carriers of varying lengths slidably mounted in the drill collar and slidably connected to the bit support; each of the bit carriers including a rod slidably connected to the outer side of the portion and a lower enlarged wedge portion, a link pivotally connected at one end to the cam portion and at its opposite end to the rod; and

bits fixed to the enlarged wedge portions, said .60

bits being successively movable through the lower end of the drill collar, and said cam portions being successively engageable by the cam means for moving the bits outwardly to an expanded position beneath the drill-collar and for moving the hangers outwardly into expanded position in said longitudinal slots.

9. An apparatus as in claim 8, said bit support having a tapered lower end, and being movable relatively to said bits, when in an expanded position, for engaging said enlarged wedge portions for wedging the bits in expanded positions.

10. An apparatus as in claim 8, said outwardly opening longitudinal slots each including spaced upper and lower portions forming an abutment therebetween having a beveled bottom edge, said larged wedge portions for engaging the beveled bottom edges of the abutments to retract the bits when they are raised.

' WALTlllR G. HURLEY. 

